1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an output control system, an output control method, and an output control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a demand for a technique which is capable of improving security while considering convenience in a network printing environment in which a print job is transmitted from a client terminal apparatus, such as a personal computer (PC), to an image forming apparatus, such as a multifunction peripheral (MFP), through a network and is then printed. As a method of implementing the technique which is capable of improving security while considering convenience, for example, in general, a method has been known which performs switching between hold print in which a print job is stored and is then printed according to, for example, a user name, a print job, a PC name (client name), an apparatus name (the name of an image forming apparatus) and direct print in which printing starts immediately after a print job is received.
For example, an image output apparatus has been proposed which performs hold print when information added to print data corresponds to hold conditions and performs direct print when the information does not correspond to the hold conditions (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-064257).
However, in the method according to the related art, it is determined whether the print mode is hold print or direct print on substantially fixed conditions, such as the user name, the PC name, and the apparatus name, as viewed from an end user. Therefore, it is difficult to flexibly change the print mode depending on operation conditions. Even in a situation in which the direct print can be performed, the hold print is forcibly performed. Even in a situation in which the hold print needs to be performed, the direct print is performed. Similarly, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-064257, it is determined whether the print mode is hold print or direct print based on substantially fixed conditions, such as a file name and an IP address. Therefore, it is difficult to flexibly change the print mode depending on the operation conditions.
Therefore, there is a need for an output control system, an output control method, and an output control apparatus capable of improving security while maintaining convenience.